Anne Bunis started the Sample Shop
in the front parlor of her Hertel Avenue home in 1929. Soon after, her
husband, Louis, had the idea to have “living mannequins” in the front
window. What had been static displays had become fashion shows for
passersby on Hertel.

That one house grew into a string of five houses within a decade. In
1947, the houses were torn down and the long familiar Sample store was
built.

The 11-store chain dwindled to three, and those remaining Sample stores
were ordered closed by a bankruptcy judge in 1990.

In 1993, the flagship store on Hertel Avenue was razed to make room for
a senior apartment complex.